NBA legend Paul Pierce recently shared his thoughts on the Warriors’ future during an episode of Kevin Garnett’s podcast, “KG Certified.” Pierce suggested that Golden State’s championship window might be closing. “If you don’t have the personnel, you have to be realistic. They don’t have a championship team right now,” Pierce remarked. He added that the only way the Warriors could reclaim their contender status would be by somehow acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Pierce’s comments fueled speculation, with Garnett wondering if Pierce had inside information. However, Pierce clarified that he was simply offering his opinion and had no knowledge of any potential moves involving Antetokounmpo. His assessment, though, holds weight. The Warriors struggled even with Thompson last season, failing to make the playoffs after losing to the Sacramento Kings in the play-in tournament. As their challenges mount, there’s bound to be increased scrutiny on Stephen Curry, though there are no indications that Curry is considering leaving the team.

Pierce emphasized that Curry seems committed to finishing his career with the Warriors. “He’s going down with that ship. It’s all about legacy now, everything else is just icing on the cake,” Pierce stated. “I saw Kobe, he lost in his last couple of years but he still went hard, didn’t he? He wasn’t complaining. That’s Steph; he’s carrying that for Golden State.”

Curry has two years remaining on his contract extension from 2021, which aligns with the recent extension of head coach Steve Kerr. A recent update to Curry’s social media bio, which removed references to the Warriors, sparked some fan concerns, but such changes are rarely reliable indicators of a player’s future plans. Curry remains one of the league’s elite players, as evidenced by his role in Team USA’s gold medal win at the Olympics this summer. His friendships with LeBron James and Kevin Durant have also fueled fan speculation about a possible late-career collaboration. However, for now, these remain just that—speculations likely to continue for the foreseeable future.